Streaming Defenses: Picking a Week 5 Defense

This article is part of our Streaming Defenses series.

Cowboys - Coming into this season I wrote the Cowboys defense off, as I expected them to not put up much fight, after losing DE DeMarcus Ware to free agency and LB Sean Lee to injury. New coordinator Rod Marinelli has this unit playing better than I expected. Still, they're last in the league in yards per play at 6.5 and even against the Saints in Week 4, they gave up a whopping 7.4 yards per play, though that was masked by the three Saints turnovers. This week they take on the Texans, who are still looking to get things going offensively. Much of that is because RB Arian Foster has been dealing with a hamstring injury. He's likely to be a game-time decision this week, and if he can't go, we'll likely see Alfred Blue get the bulk of the touches. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has an amazing beard, but unfortunately it doesn't help him in his decision making, as he has five interceptions in his last two games. The Cowboys secondary is now without DB Morris Claiborne (knee), though that may be for the best as he was the weakest link. I expect WRs DeAndre Hopkins and Andre Johnson to get theirs, but outside of them, it's tough to see many other weapons in the Texans passing game, especially if Foster doesn't play. Going with the Cowboys here is really about the fact that the Texans average less than two offensive touchdowns (1.8) per game and as such they're not expected to put up many points in this game. The biggest concern is that the Cowboys defense just isn't very good and they routinely get beat in the passing game, while Foster suits up and gashes them on the ground. Vegas has this over/under set at 46.5 with the Cowboys favored by six, which puts this at about a 26-20 game. Facing the Texans at home, the Cowboys defense/special teams have an ownership of 32 percent at CBS Sports, 4.2 percent at ESPN, and 10 percent at Yahoo.

Giants - The Giants may have turned a corner offensively, as they had a decent showing against Arizona in Week 2 earning 5.0 yards per play, then followed it up with an even better showings against the Texans and Redskins. This can only help their defense, as they're not required to be on the field as much. This week they get a Falcons team that clearly plays much better at home than on the road, and it shows up in their record, as they're 6-11 over the last three seasons on the road. Already this season they're 2-2 with both wins coming at home and both losses coming on the road. When the offense is clicking though, they're tough to beat at any venue, as QB Matt Ryan is third in the league in YPA (8.3) and second in touchdowns (10). The run game has been productive too with RB Antone Smith ripping off big runs, while Steven Jackson gets most of the touches on the ground. I worry about their offensive line though, as they've lost C Joe Hawley (knee) and RT Lamar Holmes (foot) just this week to injuries for the season and now have been forced to look to their practice squad and free agents to help fill the holes. And this is on top of LT Jake Matthews still being a rookie, though a talented one at that. If the Giants can get to Ryan and create pressure, this unit has a chance to help fantasy owners this week. The biggest concern is that WRs Julio Jones and Roddy White rip the Giants secondary and this becomes something of a shootout. Still, with as badly as the Falcons have played on the road in recent years and their offensive line woes, it's worth a gamble. Vegas has this over/under set at 50.5 with the Giants favored by four, which puts this at about a 27-23 game. Facing the Falcons at home, the Giants defense/special teams have an ownership of 17 percent at CBS Sports, 4.0 percent at ESPN, and 10 percent at Yahoo.

Titans - Facing a Browns team that is coming off a bye, this may be a bit of a bad spot for the Titans, but at least they're playing at home. The Browns run game is somewhat difficult to project, as presumed starter RB Ben Tate is dealing with a knee injury, but should be ready for this week's game, while rookies Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West are there to pick up the slack. In terms of efficiency, the Browns are getting 5.7 yards per play, which is top 10 in the league and somewhat surprising when you consider QB Brian Hoyer has three touchdowns on the season and their WR/TE corps consists of Andrew Hawkins, Miles Austin, and Jordan Cameron, who should play this week, after missing Week 2 and being limited to just one catch in Week 3, as he deals with a bruised AC joint in his shoulder. I'm not too thrilled by the play of the Titans defense this season, but they haven't had much to work with, when the offense isn't doing their share to help out. This week, at least QB Jake Locker should be back, which should give them a boost. Back to the Browns QB, I have to think after not throwing an interception the first three weeks of the season, this is the game where Hoyer makes at least one mistake. Moreover, this has to be the week that the Browns in general make mistakes, as they've had zero turnovers through their first three games, which is not like them or most teams for that matter. The biggest concern here is that the rested Browns bring a healthy Tate to the game and continue to not make mistakes, even still, special teams would have to be a big factor in this game for it to be a shootout. Vegas has this over/under set at 44.5 with the Titans favored by 1.5, which puts this at about a 23-22 game. Facing the Browns at home, the Titans defense/special teams have an ownership of 12 percent at CBS Sports, 1.2 percent at ESPN, and eight percent at Yahoo.

Browns - The Browns are coming off a bye, as mentioned above, and should be rested, as they go on the road to face the Titans. Unfortunately for them, QB Jake Locker will be back for this game, after being out with a wrist injury. His pass receiver options are still thin though, as WR Kendall Wright can only do so much and second-year player Justin Hunter has not made a leap in terms of production, as he has only nine catches on 27 targets this season. The biggest threat right now in their passing game is TE Delanie Walker, who in his ninth season is have a career year so far with three touchdowns in four games. Still, DB Joe Haden and company shouldn't have too much trouble keeping this group in front of them. The concern is that the Browns don't generate much of a pass rush and Locker is allowed too much time in the pocket to find the open man. On the ground RB Bishop Sankey is starting to earn more touches and rightfully so, as he has more upside than veteran Shonn Greene. Overall the Titans offense just isn't very talented, as they're second to last in offensive touchdowns per game (1.5) and lack that go to player that can help carry the load for everyone or take over a game with his mismatch. If this game goes as I think it will, it will be an ugly game, where neither team gets going offensively and special teams makes the difference. Vegas has this over/under set at 44.5 with the Titans favored by 1.5, which puts this at about a 23-22 game. Facing the Titans on the road, the Browns defense/special teams have an ownership of 39 percent at CBS Sports, 4.9 percent at ESPN, and 17 percent at Yahoo.

Jets - The Jets are becoming a weekly fixture here, as they are not owned in many leagues and yet are one of the better units in the league. On the season they rank first in sacks per game (3.5) and third in yards per play (4.8), unfortunately it hasn't really turned into fantasy points for owners because they only have two takeaways on the season, which is second to last in the league. This week on the road, they get a pretty stiff test against the Chargers and figure to dominate them on the ground, as San Diego comes in with only Donald Brown and Branden Oliver on the depth chart, after losing Ryan Matthews (knee) for a few weeks and Danny Woodhead (leg) for the season. The Chargers excel in the passing game with QB Philip Rivers being a large reason why, as he's second in the league in YPA (8.4) and has nine touchdowns to just one interception. The Chargers WR/TE group talented and experienced with Keenan Allen finally breaking out last week with 10 catches, Eddie Royal off to a hot start that hasn't stopped, Malcolm Floyd back from his neck issues that held him out in 2013, and Antonio Gates showing he's still a threat. The Jets secondary has not been too hot lately, as they've allowed the Lions, Bears, and Packers to combined throw for seven touchdowns with no interceptions. Though, that did come with a combined 12 sacks. The biggest concern in this game is that the Jets secondary continues to give up big plays, while they stuff the Chargers on the ground, which makes for an up and down game, but one where the Chargers continue to pile on the points. Still, I see the Jets uglying this game up and them getting a couple of turnovers, which should lead to fantasy points. Vegas has this over/under set at 43.5 with the Chargers favored by 6.5, which puts this at about a 25-18 game. Facing the Chargers on the road, the Jets defense/special teams have an ownership of 19 percent at CBS Sports, 3.3 percent at ESPN, and four percent at Yahoo.

Here are my rankings for this week, the next four weeks and the remainder of the season:

Finally, heres how the picks from the previous week faired:

Lions (at Jets) - 17 points allowed, two sacks, one interception, one fumble recovery

Jets (vs Lions) - 24 points allowed, four sacks

Redskins (vs Giants) - 45 points allowed, one sack, one interception

Falcons (at Vikings) - 41 points allowed

Raiders (vs Dolphins) - 32 points allowed, one interception, two fumble recoveries